About Me

My name is Hal Martin and at my last dental checkup my dentist told me that I had gum disease. My dentist gave me instructions about what I needed to do so that the gum disease wouldn't get worse and turn into periodontal disease. When I returned home, I immediately began learning everything I could about gum disease by reading dental articles online. I sure didn't want it to get worse so I knew that I needed to take action right away. In this blog, you'll learn all about gum disease including what it is, the causes and how you can help prevent it. I wanted to write this blog to get the word out to as many people about gum disease to hopefully help others have healthy gums.

Your smile is all your own, and it even becomes a part of how people see you, treat you, and react to you. Therefore, it is only natural that you would want to do whatever you could to make sure your smile is as perfect as possible, even as an adult. Braces were once thought to be a childhood treatment and almost like a milestone for a lot of people. However, adult braces are really common things. Take a look at some of the things you likely wonder about adult braces, and the straight facts you should know if you are considering braces as an adult.

How many people get braces as an adult?

More adults get braces these days than ever been before because adult braces are a more widely accepted idea. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) states that there was a 14 percent increase in the number of adults who had braces between 2010 and 2012, and the amount of adults who had braces in this country paired with Canada was over a million. You may know adults right now who have braces, but as much as a few decades ago, it was a little more rare to see adults who had braces on their teeth.

Why do people wait until adulthood to get braces?

Everyone has different reasons for getting braces after they have grown into an adult, even though braces are often thought of as a treatment that takes place during the adolescent years. For a lot of people, the treatment just didn't happen when they were a child, whether it was due to lack of funding from the parents to cover the costs or no dental insurance. Some adults see changes in the positioning of their teeth well into adulthood. Then, there are those adults who may get braces in their later adolescent years and wear them through to adulthood.

Is it true that some older adults are getting braces?

It turns out, there is no real age limit on when an adult can get braces as long as their teeth and gums are healthy. Therefore, it is actually not uncommon for people who are well over the age of 40 or 50 to get braces to straighten out their teeth. There have actually been a few examples of this in Hollywood, with actors like Danny Glover and Faye Dunaway getting braces to correct certain smile issues.